Aaron Draplin Discuss Success of Field Notes | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Aaron Draplin Discuss Success of Field Notes

July 28, 2025
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Field Notes Promo Shot

MCAD alumni Aaron Draplin ’00 recently did an interview with Fast Company about the massive success of his company, Field Notes. Cofounded with Jim Coudal, after twenty years and ten million copies sold, Field Notes has made a massive name for itself, being sold in 2,000 stores worldwide, as well as having a very successful subscription model.

Draplin had learned bookmaking during his time at MCAD, but the inspiration for the modern Field Notes design comes from his time collecting memo books from agriculture companies on the West Coast. His cofounder, Coudal, saw the notebook's potential, and after a couple of years, they hit a big break when J. Crew highlighted their product in their personal favorite products. Draplin notes his surprise that the brand has grown into what it is today, “This can exist. This happened. [We’ve done] it for almost 20 years. It’s fucking amazing. I’ll tell you what... it exceeded my dreams.”

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The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, MCAD is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


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